Chlorospingus ophthalmicus

The common bush tanager (Chlorospingus flavopectus), also referred to as common chlorospingus, is a small passerine bird. It is a resident breeder in the highlands from central Mexico south to Bolivia and northwest Argentina. C. flavopectus in the loose sense is a notorious cryptic species complex, and several of the up to 25 subspecies recognized in recent times are likely to be distinct species. Some populations in fact appear to be more distinct than several other members of Chlorospingus. The adult is 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long and weighs 20 g (0.71 oz) on average. They have a brown head with a (usually) thin supercilium and a white spot behind the eye and a light throat. The upperparts are olive and the underparts yellow, becoming white on the belly. Coloration, especially of the cheeks, throat and eye region, is very variable across the wide range, giving weight to the theory that this these birds form a superspecies. Immatures are browner above, darker below, and have a duller olive eye spot. Hatchlings are covered in dark gray down feathers and have bright yellow bills. The call is a squeaky tseeet or chit. Songs vary widely between the populations. The related sooty-capped bush tanager (C. pileatus) has a blacker head with a bold white supercilium rather than an eye spot. This bird is typically found from 400 to 2,300 m (1,300 to 7,500 ft) ASL in Middle America; near the Equator they are common found at altitudes of 2,000–3,500 m (6,600–11,500 ft) ASL. Its habitat – cloud forests with ample undergrowth and adjacent bushy clearings – is dominated by trees and shrubs from such families as Asteraceae, Clusiaceae, Cyatheaceae, Melastomataceae, Rubiaceae and Winteraceae, and epiphytes of the Araceae (e.g. Anthurium) and Orchidaceae. The common bush tanager is usually encountered in small groups or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock, and is rather sedentary. This passerine feeds on insects, spiders small fruits and nectar. The menoponid chewing louse Myrsidea ophthalmici was described from a Venezuelan specimen of this bird; it is not known from other hosts to date. The Venezuelan population of the common bush tanager would, if this taxon is split up, be assigned to a distinct species. There is apparently no dedicated nesting season at least in the hottest parts of its range, but in general it seems that the common bush tanager prefers to breed mainly between October and May. These birds hide their nest below vegetation on a bank or slope, in a hollow or tree trunk, amongst epiphytes, or up in a tree. The bulky cup nest, made from thin twigs and roots, coarse leaves and mosses, is some 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) high and nearly 10 cm (3.9 in) wide. The nest cup, lined with fine leaves and fibers, is almost 5 cm (2.0 in) wide and deep. The nest may be placed over 20 m (66 ft) up in a tree, but usually is located 15 m (49 ft) high or less; in most populations nests are occasionally built less than 1 m (3.3 ft) above and sometimes even right on the ground.